Soupçon, Fallacy Series - 4

The next fallacy we are going to look at is known as the 'red herring.' To understand it, let us first look at the etymology of the term.  A "red herring" is  a fish. It is not a separate species of fish though.

 It is an ordinary herring that turns a deep coppery red, and acquires a very strong, salty smell  through a heavy process of brining and smoking.  Apparently, as early as 1802, William Corbett reports that trainers dragged these pungent fish across a trail to test or distract hunting hounds. 

The process need not always be so very. innocent. Escaping criminals used the red herring to throw tracking dogs off their scent, it seems. As fallacy, hence, it consists of introducing irrelevant information in the discussion to divert attention from the actual/original theme. 

The best example of this fallacy would be the T.V. debates, right? While they are all out-shouting above each other, they are  trading extremely irrelevant  details about each other or about the issue being disc. Such whataboutery drowns any and every valid argument. 

 

  Pratima Agnihotri